Mystery shrouds killing of DIG in Orissa

Bhubaneswar, Oct 24 (UNI) Mystery shrouds the killing of South Western Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Jaswinder Singh at Badakutinga in Naxalite infested Rayagada district.

The DIG, who was on his way from Sunabeda to Padampur to address a press conference on the arrest and surrender of Naxalites, was killed ofter a bullet hit his head yesterday. He was immediately taken to the Rayagada hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Initially, the local police had said the incident it as a handiwork of suspected Naxalites but they did not rule out the possibility of the attack being a planned one.

The state Home Secretary Tarun Kanti Mishra and Director General of Police Amarananda Pattnaik have not ruled out the possible involvement of the leftwing ultras in the killing of Mr Singh.

The police also say there is a possibility that it was accidental firing by the security personnel which led to the instant death of the DIG. But senior police officials remain tightlipped on the outcome of the detailed interrogation of the two security personnel in Rayagada.

All these angles need to be probed before arriving at any conclusion, they said.

However, no Naxalite outfit has so far claimed responsiblity for the killing. The police have now started interrogating two security personnel who accompanied the DIG and the driver as none of them were injured in the shooting.

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